The main A689 road through Weardale is closed at Ireshopeburn between Causeway Road and Carway Bank, due to a burst water main.
The road is likely to be closed throughout the Bank Holiday weekend.
We believe diversions are in place along some very minor roads !
Please take care

An interesting website link – sent to us by one of our readers, Andy Irwin… (Thanks Andy)

If you're thinking of a new bike and wonder how it might suit you for size then visit the site and enter your height, inside leg length etc and you will see how you might look and feel on it.You can even put your feet on the ground to see if you will be able to touch the ground.

You can view multiple bikes at the same time and if the bike of your choice is not there, then you can notify the site and they will put it on for you.

Congratulations to Dawn & Stuart Proctor and Anita Craggs and John Whittle who have been out with Bob & Mick this week on a days BikeWise Training.
For further details about BikeWise Training, please Click Here

BikeWise 2011 was the venue for two long serving members of Durham Advanced Motorcyclists to receive a token of thanks from the club in recognition of their hard work in helping to form DAM and making it such a successful club that we know today.

It was fitting that retired motorcycle Sgt, Bob Brown (BikeWise Training) who as our local IAM examiner, was instrumental with Mike Cope in forming the group in 1995, was able to present Mike with a gift from the committee.

Mike has over the years performed allsorts of roles within the group both within Training and the Committee.

John Cudden was one of the first to take his test with the newly formed group in 95/96 and went on to become an observer, senior observer and group training officer. Retired PC, Mick Alder (BikeWise Training) was the motorcycle instructor for the police and together with Ali Bonar worked closely with John on the Training side of DAM so Mick made the presentation to John on behalf of the committee.

Both Mike & John have put vast amounts of their own time into making DAM the successful IAM group that it is today. They have made a huge contribution towards Road Safety in County Durham

The BikeWise ‘team’ feel proud and privileged to have been able to work closely with Mike & John and wish them all the best in their ‘retirement’

Photo’s are now online from this years BikeWise Show which was held in glorious sunshine at the Police HQ on Sunday 24th July.

Many Thanks to the members of Durham Photographic Society who gave up their time to record the show for us in pictures.

For many of us on the ‘BikeWise Team’ seeing the photo’s is the only way we get to see what happened at the show as it’s normally just a ‘blur’

Click on this Link to go to the BikeWise photo gallery and from there you will need to click on the individual thumbnails to go into the individual albums.

Hope you enjoy looking back on BikeWise 2011 and thanks for your support.

Next years BikeWise 2012 show will be held earlier than normal due to the Olympics in London which will necessitate members of the team working down there for extended periods – so keep checking the website and we will publish the date as soon as we can.

Once again Thanks to the Durham Photographic Society and if you wish to find out more about them please click here